1016 Balmoral Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 1A8
1016 Balmoral Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 1A8
These days, finding information is a simple click away. But how can you tell if what you’re reading is true or false? Or if it’s fact versus fiction? With fake news on the rise, fighting misinformation is more important than ever.
But spreading false information isn’t only a product of the internet era—the human tendency to lie or mislead has been around as long as we’ve been sharing stories. Did you know that the New York Sun printed articles about life on the moon in 1835 that were completely false just to sell papers? Or that a fake article claiming that American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wanted to create a “nationwide motorcycle ban” was shared more than 6000 times? Discover well-known episodes of misinformation throughout history. Read about real examples of fake news and learn how to spot it with ten concrete actions, including how to investigate a source, weigh the evidence, ask the experts and look in the mirror to check your own bias.
Gregor Craigie is a radio journalist and writer. He has worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for many years. Before that he worked in several cities, including London, England, where he was an announcer for the BBC World Service and a reporter for CBS Radio. Gregor’s first book for adults, On Borrowed Time: North America’s Next Big Quake, was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust Balsillie Prize for Public Policy and the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize. He is also the author of Why Humans Build Up: The Rise of Temples, Towers and Skyscrapers and Walls: The Long History of Human Barriers and Why We Build Them, both part of the Orca Timeline series, as well as Saving Wolfgang, his children’s fiction debut. Gregor lives in Victoria, British Columbia.
Bithi Sutradhar is a Bangladeshi illustrator and graphic designer who holds a Master of Publishing degree from Simon Fraser University, as well as an MFA and BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Dhaka. Alongside her professional illustration work, Bithi enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills through teaching. Her contributions have been recognized by educational institutions and government bodies such as the Ministry of Agriculture in Bangladesh. In 2024, Bithi created the illustrations for the first three books in the Take Action series as part of an internship with Orca Book Publishers. Bithi lives in Vancouver and loves exploring the vibrant outdoor scenes in her spare time, finding inspiration in the city’s natural beauty.
